Mariana says goodbye after 15 years

In the evenings, while the cattle came back to the kraal and the sun set behind the dusty veld, we heard on our gram radio, an early forerunner of today’s CD players, songs such as “Cuando Sali de Cuba”, also known as “The wind will change tomorrow”.
In this song by Guillermo Portabales, the artists sang about a man’s longing to go back to his country of birth.
At the time, happily contented with my whereabouts, I didn’t even take note of the words of the song, little knowing that within months I would leave my country of birth with my parents – a heart attack had forced my father to go and live in more suitable circumstances.

After teenage years in the Southern Cape, student years at Stellenbosch and some working years in the Free State, I met my husband who also hailed from Namibia.
Eventually we landed in White River where I had been involved with Lowveld Media for about 15 years, 11 of which were with Pro Habitat, the last seven as editor of White River Post, and the last three also as editor of Hazyview Herald.
Recently, and thanks to modern technology, I started converting all our old vinyl records into MP3 files playable on computer and found Misty Roses among them too.

This time the lyrics of “The wind will change tomorrow” hit home: It is the dream
of every person to go back to the land where he was born And that’s how it is with me…
Every night I said a silent prayer for the day when I could go home again
To feel the warm morning sun and to walk where I used to run.
There is nothing that can keep a person and his homeland apart
The days and the miles can’t change what is in my heart And some day, somehow I will go back…
The reason for this dear friends, was because that was exactly what we
had been dreaming of for years.
One thing led to another, I wrote a letter to in acquaintance in Namibia and, as they so often say, the rest is history…

So now I will leave Lowveld Media and the Lowveld next week, as our dream recently became a reality when I was offered the opportunity to join Democratic Media Holdings in Windhoek to continue my journalistic career at their Afrikaans daily newspaper – Die Republikein.
It had been a privilege to work (and laugh and cry) with many of you over the years and I wish you success and prosperity in all your business and other endeavours.
My personal email address, mbalt@mweb.co.za, will remain active and my cellular number in Namibia (as from October) will be +264-81-353-1431.
Please feel free to keep in contact and come and join me for a cup of coffee (or an ice-cold beer) should you ever travel through that country.
I will dearly and sincerely miss the Lowveld and its stunning community, but even while wiping away the tears at several farewell functions organised by kind residents, Guillermo’s words, albeit somewhat adapted, echo in the back of my mind: “Soon, believe it or not, I am going back!”